It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted an update in these parts. Rest assured, though, I’ve been here. I’ve been working to get the last baby to kindergarten age. My novels have been a point of focus. I’ve been leading a multi-level Girl Scouts troop. Clients have had me editing dissertations, novels, and children’s books. I’ve also been working through settling my dad’s estate, which has been surprisingly difficult. All in all, there’s been a lot going on, making for a very interesting May 2026 life update!
Across-the-Board Rebranding
Because I took a pause in 2025, I decided that I would go ahead and rebrand and relaunch many projects. This website ehas been getting a facelift! I’ve been going through and updating all the older posts. I’m making sure their links work, that they’ve got a modern formatting, and to ensure their graphics are consistent. I intend to finish the rebranding here within the next month.
I plan to come back to the series I started chronicling how I organize my digital life. I’d love to share thoughts on some of the more popular productivity apps I’ve been dinking around with. I’m always getting told “I don’t know how you do it all.” While the phrase makes me uncomfortable, I’m far from doing it all, I want to share what I’ve found works well.
Well-Caffeinated Mom
Earlier this decade, I made the choice to shift my lifestyle blog’s branding from Wining Wife to Well-Caffeinated Mom. I’ve been playing around with brand colors and I think I’ve finally got that figured out. I can’t wait to relaunch the belog with the new branding.
In the meantime, be sure you’re checking over there to see what’s going on. I’m keeping the blog open while the rebranding is going on. (There are, after all, hundreds of posts up). I recently reviewed pens and mini-coloring books from A Brighter Year. And, I’ll have a lot of book reviews going up soon. And yes, I have a bunch of coffee reviews to write up as well.
Activism My Way
Like this blog, the Activism My Way blog will be gettinig a face-lift. I’ve moved my hosting away from WordPress free and into Bluehost. I will continue to profile a variety of organizations, community activists and advocates, and causes. I find that when I look for ways to help others, and look for the helpers it helps to make the world feel a lot more right. I hope my posts there help others find ways to feel the same way.
Just a Secular Homeschooler
Just a Secular Homeschooler is my blog dedicated to chronicling our homeschooling journey and sharing information with other secular homeschoolers. I’ve been proud to accrue a lot of knowledge about different homeschooling companies, apps, and techniques for making homeschooling a little less daunting.
For a while, I was debating about what to do with the branding of this site. I had it hosted on SecularHomeschoolToday.com for reasons I’ll get into in a few minutes. I decided to stick with Just a Secular Homeschooler, and I’m excited to get everything tidied up over there and rolling. I have lots of ideas to share.
The Definitive End of Ronda B. Handmade
I love sewing. I love crafting. I do have plans to launch a new crafting/art/making blog in the coming months. Several years ago now, I made the decision to close Ronda B. Handmade and to no longer try to sell custom clothing or jewelry. I still do these things! I will happily gift what I make. But selling them isn’t my thing, and that’s okay. I will be sunsetting the site soon. All of the posts on the site have already been posted to Well-Caffeinated Mom.
So, no more Ronda B. Handmade – BUT – be on the lookout for a ridiculously fun replacement coming soon.
Sunsetting SNARK!
So, hipsters kind of aren’t really a thing anymore, particularly self-denying hipsters, who were the audience of the never-launched SNARK! Magazine. That’s okay. We grow, we change, we… still definitely want to publish a literary/commentary zine, but it won’t be SNARK! I do have plans for something to launch next year, and it promises to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to share more about that soon.
Rebranding WRE Consulting Services
Yup. Another rebrand.This is my next priority following the cosmetics on this site. I founded WRE Consulting Services in 2008. I’ve been writing white papers, ghostwriting books, managing blogs and social media, editing dissertations and books, and helping businesses get the information they need to best serve their customer base for 18 years, and it’s time for a new vibe. With that in mind, I plan to relaunch my primary writing, research, and editing business in the coming months. I’m really excited about my new business name and my new focus.
Two New Large Business Undertakings
I have two new large undertakings happening in the course of the next 18 months. Both are in their nascent stagaes at the moment, so I don’t want to say much more than, “Come back to this page. See what awesome things I’m doing!” I will give one hint: Part of the reason I wanted a more formal name for my homeschooling blog is that I wanted to leave the possibility for releasing products related to it open. There’s more on that coming soon.
My Personal Writing Projects
I am in finishing wordcount distance on my young adult novel I’ll See You Tomorrow. My novel, Night Song is finally nearly completed and ready for editing. We Were So Young, a novel I began a short time ago during the final NaNoWriMo I participated in is also so close to coompletion. The Man on the Bus and Other Stories has a complete first draft, and I’m getting ready to work through it on a deep revision pass. Things there are happening.
Dances With Crazy, Just Like the Movies, The Narcissist’s Daughter, and Everything Happens for a Reason are all in various stages of drafting. I have several short stories and poems ready to start sending out for publication. I’ve made revision notes on Much to Do about Suffering and an essay I wrote in graduate school about social amplification and attenuation of risk. I may have been quiet here, but I’ve been creating. I have a list of pitch ideas for articles ready to go.
I’m armed with creative projects – and dare I say it? Dangerous. (Chuckle).
Volunteer and Community Work
I’ve been steadily leading my Girl Scouts troop since 2019. Our troop has grown a lot and grown up a lot. I love working with these kids. It feels like a huge gift to get to know these kids and their families over the years. This year, I’ve really been working on my delegation skills. Leading a troop with 40 kids is a lot of work, and I’m so very thankful for all of my co-leaders.
I’m also still working on the higher awards committee for our council, mentoring middle and high school Girl Scouts.
I don’t have current plans for further regular volunteer work for at least the next couple of months. There is a volunteer role I may take on, but that will be decided in na few months, not now.
General May 2026 Life Update Stuff
Hopefully probate for my dad’s estate is coming to a close. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. There are still a few things left to do, one is selling my childhood home. It’s been enormously weighty and hard, even with a really great team of folks helping that whole process along.
At the end of the month, my husband and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary and a few weeks later, the 15th anniversary of the day we met. It is also the 15th anniversary year of my first firewalk and – the 14th anniversary of my second. Life has definitely thrown some curveballs these past 15 years, but we’re still here. The kiddult has launched and is working hard in their field. The other four kids are now 12, 10, 9, and 5. Life goes fast. If you’re not careful, you’ll miss it.
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